Technical knowledge base
Technical knowledge base
Reference articles on wallet formats, keys, backups and recovery methods. Start with the topic closest to your situation.
Start with your situation
- I do not know where to start - diagnose my problem
- I found an old wallet file I do not recognize
- What counts as a backup - and what does not
- My seed restored, but the balance is zero
- I am missing words from my recovery phrase
- I want an honest answer about my chances
- My hardware wallet is broken or the PIN is lost
- My wallet software no longer exists
Reference
Fundamentals
- Cold Storage Explained: Keeping Wallet Keys Offline
- Crypto Wallet Recovery Methods: The Five Routes Back Into a Wallet
- Multisignature Wallets Explained: Shared Control and Recovery
- Paper Wallets Explained: Cold-Storage Keys on Paper
- Wallet vs Wallet File vs Keys: What Actually Holds Your Crypto
- What Is a Fork? Hard Forks and Soft Forks Explained
Seeds & mnemonics
- Seed Phrase (Recovery Phrase): What It Is and How It Works
- Seed Standards Compared: BIP-39, Electrum, SLIP-39 and Others
- Wallet Compatibility: Which Seed or Backup Restores What
HD wallets & derivation
- Derivation Paths: The Complete Wallet Reference
- HD Wallets Explained: How BIP-32 Turns One Seed into a Tree of Keys
Hardware wallets
- Hardware Wallet Recovery Concepts: Device vs Seed, PIN vs Passphrase
- Hardware Wallets Explained: Keys Offline, Recovery via Seed Phrase
Keys & addresses
- Address Types Explained: Legacy, SegWit, Native SegWit and Taproot
- BIP-38 Explained: Passphrase-Protected Private Keys on Paper
- Extended Keys and Watch-Only Wallets: xpub, xprv, ypub, zpub
- Private Keys: What They Are and Why They Unlock Your Wallet
- Public Keys: What They Are and How They Differ from Private Keys
Passwords & encryption
Wallet formats
- Wallet Backups Explained: Formats, What Counts, and How to Use Them
- Wallet Formats: Identification, Encryption and Recovery by Format
Legacy wallets
Restore & diagnosis
- Tokens Not Showing: Network and Token Standard Confusion
- What Is a Blockchain Node? And Why It Matters for Your Wallet
- What Is a Gas Fee? And What It Means for Your Transactions
Safety & forensics
Practical guides
Seed phrases & recovery
- How to Recover Your Bitcoin Wallet Safely
- Trezor Wallet Recovery
- How to Factory Reset & Restore a Ledger Nano
- Full Guide on Recovering Wasabi Wallet
- Forgot Daedalus Spending Password
- Can't Access Your MEW Wallet?
Passwords & wallet files
- Forgot Your Bitcoin Core Password?
- Lost Your Bitcoin Wallet Password?
- Lost or Forgot Blockchain.com Password?
- How to Restore Guarda Crypto Wallet
- Yoroi Wallet Recovery
- MultiDoge Wallet Recovery
Security & avoiding scams
- Fake Ledger Devices & Ledger Scams
- Key Warning Signs of Crypto Scams
- What Happens if Your Hardware Wallet Breaks?